Good question?!!
A glimpse into our recent Mission Leadership Coucils . . .
What is Mission Leadership Council?
In 2013 a few changes were made in the way the mission leadership is organized. A wonderful principle about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that it is governed through councils on every level. Meaning a group of council members meet together on a regular basis where each has an opportunity to express their opinion, and share inspiration associated with their stewardship. Full participation is encouraged from both men and women in the council system in the church.
For a mission, that means we currently have a Missionary Leadership Council that meets monthly where both the Elders and the Sisters (Hermanas) participate and share their input over which they have stewardship. It is really a wonderful thing . . . I'm so grateful that we have this opportunity to meet together monthly and "council" amongst each other.
(An assortment of photos from some of our recent Mission Leadership Councils)
Who Attends Mission Leadership Council?
The Mission Leadership Council is made up of the Mission President, and the Mission President's wife, the Assistants to the President, the Zone Leaders and the Sister Training Leaders. The Mission Leadership Council also has many purposes. It is a perfect experience each month for the leadership composed of the zone leaders and sister training leaders to receive instruction in leadership skills and accountability from the mission president, the president's wife and the assistants to the president.
If all goes as planned, the zone leaders receive their focus for the month at the mission leader council. They in turn take the message back to their zones and share the message from the Mission President the following week at the Zone meetings which are held once each month, with all the members of their zones. Then each District Leader has the responsibility to continue to review the focus of the month with each of the missionaries in their district at their weekly district meetings.
At the next Mission Leadership Council, the Zone Leaders will return and report the results of their labors. They share what ideas are working well for their zones and what needs to be improved. We all have the opportunity to council together as we find improved ways to invite others to come unto Christ.
And now . . .
Missionaries and Baseball . . .
Recently President Klein and his assistants likened missionary work to Baseball! It was fun to show each missionary how the goal for their investigators is to progress! Not just stay on first base forever!
The goal is to progress around the bases until they arrive at home plate and follow the example of the Savior and choose to be baptized by one who has the authority.
By asking the question "Who's on First?" The missionaries are encouraged to focus on the names of all their investigators and know exactly which base they are on, and what they need to continue around the bases to baptism.
The missionaries can take a look at the "bench" . . . and know who is up next? Do you have anyone on the bench? If not . . . you have a lot of work to do! Our bench should constantly have players (investigators) waiting in the wings.
Learning English can be Fun!
We recently enjoyed a fun activity prepared by the Sister Trainer Leaders to help us learn and teach English! They used the modules contained in the English books provided at the MTC to show us some fun ways to do the lessons!
Bring on the Miracles . . .
In conclusion . . . we'll share a small miracle . . . we were on our way home from the far reaches of the mission after concluding the quarterly interviews for the missionaries in that zone. It is about the same as driving from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City . . . so we knew we were in for a long drive home that day. We had two secretaries from the mission office accompanying us as they had been in that area doing missionary house inspections.
Normally we take the main highway that passes all along the Eastern coast of Honduras then cuts inland to arrive in San Pedro Sula. There is a dirt road that passes through several small villages and one large city that is currently not assigned missionaries. It's only possible to travel in this direction on a good day as any rainy weather makes the dirt road through these mountains impassable. We opted for the dirt road through the mountains that day . . .
When we were about four hours into our journey and approaching the area where we had missionaries located in the far southwest corner of the mission . . . we received a phone call from the mission nurse saying that one of our sisters located in a small town in the middle of nowhere, had seen a doctor in her town and she needed an urgent surgical consult for possible appendicitis. We speculated for a few minutes on how to get her into San Pedro Sula before we realized that our route would take us nearby her town in about 15 minutes.
Our gracious office elders elected to disembark and finish their journey in the bus so we could pick up the sister with the abdominal problems and her companion and continue with them into San Pedro Sula. The reality of our miracle is that if we had not been inspired to take the dirt road through the mountains it would have meant delaying an urgent treatment for an additional two to three hours for this sister.
Yes . . . we can truly testify that Heavenly Father knows, loves and blesses each of his children.
“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Brothers and sisters, the most powerful Being in the universe is the Father of your spirit. He knows you. He loves you with a perfect love.
God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season—He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become. He wants you to know that you matter to Him". -- President Deiter F. Uchtdorf
(Enjoying lunch together before they all return to their areas)
Okay . . . Missionaries . . .
Now go . . . and do . . . and teach . . . and testify!
